In the past two decades considerable efforts have been made to convert biomass especially carbohydrates into value added chemicals and as suitable alternates for constantly depleting fossil fuels. Biomass is inexpensive, abundant and more importantly renewable. There are a plethora of reports on conversion of carbohydrates, glucose or fructose into a number of industrially important intermediates such as dimethyl furan, γ-valerolactone, ethyl levulinate, caprolactam, caprolactone, 1,6-hexanediol, adipic acid, 2,5-bishydroxymethyl furan and 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA).
The common key chemical for accessing the chemicals mentioned above is 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF). FDCA, an oxidation product of HMF, was identified as an important building block for polymer synthesis. Due to their industrial importance, both HMF and FDCA are listed among the top 14 bio-based chemicals by U. S. Department of Energy (DOE). FDCA could possibly replace terephthalic acid in polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a polyester prepared in tons every year and FDCA-glycol polymer has properties similar to PET. Though synthetic polymers play vital roles in daily life, their non/poor-degradability increases concerns regarding their impact on the environment (as they are mostly disposed in landfills). In addition, building blocks for polymers are mainly derived from fossil fuels. Great demand with diminishing fossil fuels necessitates finding alternate sustainable sources for building polymeric materials.